Back in September of 2012, you sent me the following FB message “HI! I agree! PETA is disgusting & horrible to kill animals! Many advocates for companion animals still eat animals and are unaware that over 99% of cruelty to animals in the United States occurs at the hands of the meat, dairy, and egg industries – which confine, torture, mutilate, and slaughter 9 billion animals each year. Does your Soul approve of this: http://www.meatvideo.com/” Apparently you were a new vegetarian, eager to proselytize but inept at the art of persuasion and unaware that I have been an ethical vegetarian for nearly a quarter century and none of this stuff is new to me. You appear to be of two minds about PETA, and they don’t seem to be communicating with each other very well.

I have written about PETA before. This piece counters your fallacious arguments. Please click on and read each link–the go to news articles covering the Piggly Wiggly Dumpster Incident and trial.

Various people over the years, including journalist Gina Spadafori, have asked PETA to provide veterinary and other records for the animals they claim to have killed for medical reasons. If PETA had such records, they could and would use them to clear the air. Instead, they have ignored all such requests, instead choosing to threaten critics with legal action, the First Amendment notwithstanding. The only logical conclusion is that PETA’s claims that they only kill medically hopeless animals is complete and utter BS. This particular BS is very, very un-vegan. I would love to see someone step up and file a lawsuit over PETA’s fraud. Let’s not forget Dr. Patrick Proctor’s testimony at the Piggly Wiggly Dumpster trial.

The first-name-only “testimony” you provide is irrelevant and possibly apocryphal. Let’s see these people provide sworn affidavits and their full names.

First of all, more and more people are turning to shelters and humane societies for the service of medical euthanasia, primarily because it’s affordable to almost everybody. How I understand it is: a) PeTA isn’t a “shelter” for rehoming pets. That they’re licensed with the state as a “humane society,” and have been for all reporting years” b) Nearly every animal PeTA receives is an owner-surrendered animal for the purpose of humane, medical euthanasia or an animal received from an out-of-state facility for the purpose of euthanasia, and that the state requires those owners to sign legal releases stating they are aware their animals may be immediately euthanized. PeTA euthanizes an average of 5 sick, injured, and emotionally devastated animals every day.

In fact, the state of Virginia requires PeTA (and all animal reporting facilities) to keep both animal and owner information on file for a period of three years, during which time, anyone who has a complaint regarding the handling of their animal can ask for an investigation. PeTA must keep the name and address of the owner, and details regarding the animal’s condition on file. Now, if PeTA was really duping unsuspecting people into believing their pet will be offered for adoption, where are all of the complaints? 2011 numbers are reported here: http://www.vi.virginia.gov/vdacs_ar/cgi-bin/Vdacs_search.cgi?link_select=facility&form=fac_select&fac_num=157&year=2011

PeTA’s providing free, dignified, humane euthanasia to animals who require it, takes that burden off shelters, allowing them to focus their resources on finding homes for adoptable animals:

Liz’s story: People in this area do not bring their animals to PETA because they want them taken to a shelter or put up for adoption; if they do, we refer them to the Virginia Beach SPCA, or transfer the animal there ourselves if for some reason the owner cannot do so. People bring their animals to PETA because their animal is very old, very sick, very injured, very aggressive, etc., and for one reason or another needs to be put to sleep. This is a service we provide the public for free. Source: this is my job.

Rachel’s story: When I worked at the Norfolk headquarters I assisted many members of the public who brought animals in for euthanasia. Most stayed with their companions during the procedure, and I cried with many of them in their grief and sadness after the animals had moved on.